Experiential Learning and Community Economic Development in Appalachia

Experiential Learning and
Community Economic Development
in Appalachian Communities: A
Teaching Note
Peter H. Hackbert, Berea College
Academy of Business Research
September 13-15, 2011
Atlantic City, New Jersey

Agenda
Background
Review of the Literature
4 Key Concepts
Methods
Results

Source: AAC&U College Learning For
the New Global Century
Tina L. Seelig, Stanford Technology Venture Program, “Can
Entrepreneurship be Taught?” Endeavor and Universidad
Torcuato Di Tella, November 29, 2006
21st Century college graduates
Breadth of Knowledge about
Entrepreneurship & Leadership
Depth of
Knowledge in a
Technical
Discipline

Building T-Shaped People
Entrepreneurial Concepts, Skill Set,
Experiential Exercises
Depth of
Knowledge in
a Technical
Discipline

Depth of
Knowledge in
a Technical
Discipline:
Computer
Engineering

Depth of
Knowledge in
a Technical
Discipline:
Animal
Sciences

Depth of
Knowledge in
a Technical
Discipline:
Sustainability
Environmental
Sciences

Depth of
Knowledge in
a Technical
Discipline:
Liberal Arts

The Challenge
The EPG Program creates a multi-year,
learning cohort experience for
undergraduate students to practice and
implement Entrepreneurial Leadership in
rural communities of Central Appalachia.

The Center for Rural
Entrepreneurship

Innovative Approaches to
Entrepreneurial Development Case
Studies - West, Midwest
Innovative Approaches to Entrepreneurial Development Case Studies

Rural Community Entrepreneurial
Leadership Case Studies
Community State Population Theme Lessons Learned
Northeast Minnesota 75,000 Industry cluster; CORE FOUR;
Mico; equity fund; building the
supply of entrepreneurs
Get service provider buy in; Change
regional culture; Collaboration;
Systems approach; Single Spark Plug
Missoula Montana 29,453 Missing ingredient was funding up
to $250,000
Address needs of entrepreneur and
the investor community
Southwestern North Dakota Declining
population
from 19,000
to 16,000
Dickerson State University &
Center for Entrepreneurship and
Rural Revitalization
Enterprise counseling, issue
identification and customization
solutions, Extend the reach; partner
with Tribal communities
Ferry County Washington 4 persons per
square mile
Empower women and youth
through entrepreneurship
Clean, crisp, colorful layouts –
promotion, website management,
product distribution
Mason City Northern
Iowa
20,000 CEO clubs, Youth Entrepreneurship
Academy, Business Accelerator
Importance of “Seed Capital;”
Organizing services and Engaging
communities;
Southwest Washington
State
2,623 Access to health Get community buy-in; attract
enough operating capital; maintain
communications
Cedar Falls / Waterloo Iowa 107,150 MyEnreNet Community empowerment; business
empowerment; capitalization;
networks
Livingston County South Dakota 14,558 Baseline study Entrepreneurial talent – vision /

Small Cities, Big Ideas
Rural Community Entrepreneurial Leadership Case Studies #1

Rural Community Entrepreneurial
Leadership Case Studies
Community State Population Theme Outcomes
Wood County Wisconsin 75,000 Industry cluster 78 formed
in 12 months in 2004
Henry County Ohio 29,453 Infrastructure Local matching funds
Littleton Colorado 40,000 Economic Gardening through new
information
Mentoring, networks
Georgia Entire State Entrepreneurial friendly regions 14 counties - awareness, mapping
assets, interviews
Madison County North
Carolina
20,000 HandMade in America Tourism trails with crafts, arts,
heritage, farms
Miner County South Dakota 2,623 Youth Entrepreneurship Inventory of assets
Linn County Oregon 107,150 Job creation for family wages 194 jobs
Livingston County Missouri 14,558 Baseline study Entrepreneurial talent – vision /
goals
Coffee County Georgia 37,413 Homegrown job growth 270 new jobs
Valley County Nebraska 4,647 Home Town Competitiveness 80 new jobs; 12%increase income;
45 new residents; $75 M investment;
15% increase in retail sales

These case studies illustrate the necessity of
entrepreneurial leadership, and importance of
collaboration, the value of a systems approach,
the necessity of making a clear case for and an
ability to articulate a vision of the future and the
recognition of building upon community assets.

Across Appalachia enterprise
formation is declining

The EPG Program defines
“Entrepreneurial Leadership” as:
"A process when one person or a group of
people in a community originate an idea or
innovation for a needed change and influence
others in that community to commit to
realizing that change, despite the presence of
risk, ambiguity, or uncertainty".

Concept 1:
Designing Significant
Learning

Our Challenge: Significant learning

learning activities, Fink’s conceptual model
rests on a taxonomy of significant learning
including foundational knowledge,
application, integration, human dimension,
caring, and learning how to learn. This
model was used as a framework to support
the design team members engaged in a
year-long faculty-development program
focused on entrepreneurial leadership
program development

EPG Learning Goals
EPG
Learning
Goals

Concept 2:
Design Thinking
My training and experience provided me an opportunity to learn and work with IDEO.

The premise and case studies of “design thinking” were expressed in 2007

The premise and case studies of
“design thinking” were expressed
in 2007

The Gates Foundations supported
the application of design thinking
in developing nations
Gates Foundation

Ideation, Testing, Prototyping
Idea
Generation
Human
Centered
Discovery
Opportunity
Recognition and
Concept Design
Build Prototypes Testing
Obtain
Feedback
Analyze
Feedback
Do we need
further refining?
Yes
Modifying the
Understanding
Learning
More
Learning

Characterizing a Design Thinker
Empathy. They can imagine the world from multiple perspectives – those of colleagues,
client, end users, and customers.
Integrative thinking. They not only rely on analytical processes but also exhibit the
ability to see all of the salient – and sometime contradictory – aspects of a confounding
problem and create novel solutions that go beyond and dramatically improve on existing
alternatives.
Optimism. They assume that no matter how challenging the constraints of a given
problem, at least one potential solution is better than the existing alternatives.
Experimentalism. Design thinkers pose questions and explore constraints in creative
ways that proceed in entirely new directions.
Collaboration. The increasing complexity of products, services, and experiences has
replaced the myth of the lone genius with the reality of the enthusiastic interdisciplinary
collaborator.
Tim Brown, Design Thinking (Harvard Business Review, June 2008)

Concept 3:
Valuing Learning
Styles and
Reflective Practices
Concept 3:
Valuing Learning Styles and Reflective Practices

Concept 4:
Team-Based
Learning

Team- Based Learning
Instructional Activity Sequence

Initial Exposure, Practice Applying
Course Concepts, Final Assessment

Mission Statement
Educate and inspire students
from Appalachia to become
service-oriented leaders
1,600 liberal arts students
150 years
Learning, Labor and Service

poverty and unemployment rates
outpace the national average 1 and
1/2 times, and per capita income
falls two-thirds below the national
average.

Rural Communities
Madison County population – 71,000
Leslie County population – 14,000
Knott County population – 13,000
Eastern KY County seat populations – 300 / 800

Poverty rate in Appalachian Kentucky –
21.8%

Percent of High School Completion in
Appalachian Kentucky – 17.1%

Kentucky River Area Development District
Population Change from Census 2000
to July 1, 2008: -3%

33% of households in the past 12 month
incomes are below the poverty level

Experiential Learning and Community Economic Development in Appalachia

Experiential Learning and Community Economic Development in Appalachia

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